Investment Rating - The report rates Thermo Fisher as "Buy" with a target price indicating a potential upside of 31.8% [2] Core Insights - The performance of C(D)MO and life sciences upstream companies is showing positive trends, while clinical CRO companies are experiencing a decline in demand [1][4] - The overall revenue and profit growth for the tracked companies in 2024 remains under pressure, but half of them showed improvement in the second half of 2024 compared to the first half [6][7] - The demand outlook for 2025 varies significantly across different segments, with C(D)MO and life sciences upstream companies being optimistic, while clinical CRO companies maintain a cautious stance [1][4][38] Summary by Sections Profit Recovery - Profit recovery is outpacing revenue recovery, with the median and average profit growth rates for the industry in 2024 at +2.4% and +3.5%, respectively, compared to -6.2% and -7.2% in 2023 [7][24] - The average gross margin for the tracked companies decreased from 46.4% in 2022 to 41.7% in 2024, indicating pressure from demand weakness [24][25] Demand Trends - C(D)MO companies are witnessing strong commercial production demand, with Lonza and Samsung Bio reporting significant growth in their C(D)MO revenues [38][39] - Life sciences upstream companies are benefiting from the completion of inventory destocking by downstream clients, leading to a recovery in demand [39][40] 2025 Performance Guidance - C(D)MO and life sciences upstream companies are providing improved performance guidance for 2025, while clinical CRO companies are showing a notable deterioration in their outlook [1][4][39] - Lonza expects its C(D)MO revenue growth to approach 20% in 2025, while Samsung Bio anticipates a continued growth of 20-25% [1][4] Long-term Growth Support - The global healthcare financing is stabilizing, with a 1.4% year-on-year increase in 2024, marking the first positive growth since 2021 [1][4] - Pharmaceutical companies' strong free cash flow will continue to support innovation and research and development [1][4] Market Reactions - Following the 4Q24 earnings releases, stock price reactions varied significantly across different segments, with C(D)MO and clinical pre-CRO stocks performing better than life sciences upstream and clinical CRO stocks [30][31]